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Poll: Should TSA workers be armed?

LAX Shooting_Zeit.jpg

Los Angeles firefighters from Westchester Station 5 gives a lift to Joseph Heyward, 87, left, and his wife, as they walk away from the airport at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. A man pulled a semi-automatic rifle from a bag and shot his way past a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing a TSA officer and wounding two other people in an attack that sent terrified travelers running for cover and disrupted flights from coast to coast, authorities said. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
(AP photo)

A man carrying a note that said he wanted to "kill TSA" pulled a semi-automatic rifle from a bag and shot his way past a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing one Transportation Security Administration officer and wounding at least three others, authorities said.

The gunman was wounded in a shootout with airport police and taken into custody, authorities said. His condition was not disclosed.

The TSA workers, who are protecting us from terrorism and making sure terrorists don't enter the country through airports, couldn't shoot back that the assailant. They don't carry weapons.

And while this doesn't appear to be a terroristic act, the incident appears to have served a result -- the attack at the nation's third-busiest airport sent terrified travelers running for cover and disrupted more than 700 flights across the U.S.

The shootings appear to be the work of one disturbed person, a Pennsville, N.J. man, authorities say. He was armed with a rifle.

The slain security worker was the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty in the 12-year history of the agency, which was founded in the aftermath of 9/11. The FBI and Los Angeles Airport Police identified the gunman as Paul Ciancia, 23, of Pennsville, N.J. He had apparently been living in Los Angeles.

Since the TSA was created, the question of workers carrying guns has been a sticky subject. We've all heard stories about TSA workers either sleeping or being lackadaisical. So, of course, why would you give them a gun? But that's not everyone, and if TSA workers were allowed to carry a weapon, we're sure there would be better training and a higher standard of employment.

Just a few weeks ago, airport police and the Los Angeles Police Department had jointly trained for a similar shooting scenario, and officers said he drill was critical in preparing them for the real thing.

While Terminal 3 remained closed, much of the rest of the airport continued operating, though with some disruptions. Some LAX-bound flights that were already in the air were diverted to other airports.

The ripple effect across the country delayed thousands of travelers. Hundreds of stranded passengers streamed into hotels near LAX.

At least three other TSA officers were wounded, said J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. Their conditions were not disclosed.

The officer who was killed was one of the behavioral detection officers that are stationed throughout the airport, looking for suspicious behavior, Cox said.